MUSLIMS across Hampshire celebrated the end of the holy period of Ramadan with communal prayers.

Worshippers flocked to temples across the county to mark the beginning of the Eid ul-Fitr holiday.

Members of the Razvia Mosque, St Mary's Road, Southampton, descended on St Mary's Sports Centre at the weekend to make use of the larger facilities for their ceremony.

Ahmed Shah Moied, chairman of the mosque, said: "It marks the end of 30 days of fasting and it's a thanksgiving day for all the worshippers."

A spokesman for the Muslim Council of Southampton said: "The prayers marked the beginning of the Eid ul-Fitr, or 'feast of fast breaking' holiday, in which Muslims exchange social visits and seek to strengthen bonds of brotherhood in the community.

"Many communities hold bazaars following the prayers."